The present disclosure relates generally to medical technology and in particular aspects to devices, methods and systems for securing sutures external to the patient's body. As further background, there exist a variety of medical procedures in which suture and anchor sets are necessary to secure patient tissue before, during and/or after the procedure. In such procedures, it is often necessary to secure the suture material outside of the body to ensure that the corresponding anchor device maintains its position. Many aspects of such procedures often rely, in part, on the successful securement of the suture material outside of the body.
Several methods have been suggested for securing suture material, including various methods of tying the suture or crimping the suture. However, such arrangements can lose integrity over time or upon the application of force along the suture and anchor set. Additionally, such arrangements can be difficult uncomfortable to the patient, and/or create undesirable effects at the point of contact with the patient's skin. Other arrangements which have been suggested for crimping or clamping suture material external to the body are often difficult for the medical personnel to handle and manipulate.
There remain needs for improved and/or alternative systems and methods for securing suture material external to the patient's body. The present disclosure is addressed to those needs.